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UPDATED TO 2024 SYLLABUS

CAIE IGCSE
GEOGRAPHY
SUMMARIZED NOTES ON THE PRACTICAL SYLLABUS
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CAIE IGCSE GEOGRAPHY

4. Have multiple people count as well to increase

reliability of the findings
1. COASTS
OR
4. Use caliper and pebbleometer to measure length and
1.1. Beach Profile width of the material

1. Person A stands at a safe distance from the edge of

the sea holding a ranging pole RIVERS
2. Person B stands holding a second ranging pole further
up the beach where there is a break of slope
3. The distance between the two ranging poles is 1.2. River crosssection:
measured using a tape measure
4. The angle between matching markers on each 1. Lay the measuring tape from one bank to the other
ranging pole is measured using a clinometer 2. Measure the width of the stream
5. Repeat this process at each break of slope until the 3. Use the ranging poles to measure the depth of the
top of the beach is reached. river at equal intervals

Cross-sectional area:
channel depth x channel width (measure both using tape
measures)

Width of river:
1. Students stand on opposite sides of the river bank /
place a ranging pole on each side of the bank
vertically upright
2. Use a measuring tape to measure the distance
between the two poles
Longshore Drift 3. Keep the tape measure taut / horizontal
4. Measure perpendicular / at right angles to bank
1. Lay the measuring tape parallel to the coast, next to
the water
Depth of river:
2. Mark out a 10m section
3. Place a float or an orange in the swash zone at the 5
1. Rest ruler / rod on the riverbed vertically upright /
metre middle mark perpendicular
4. Record the direction in which the object travels (left or 2. Make a mark of the water level
right) and how long it takes to travel 5 metres
3. Repeat this at intervals along a river
5. Repeat the experiment and take an average.
\
Wetted perimeter:
Wave Counts 1. Lay a chain across the river bed from one bank to the
other
1. Place a pole in the water
2. Mark the distance on the chain and remove it from the
2. Using a stopwatch, count the number of times the river
waves hit the pole per minute 3. Measure the distance of the chain
3. Repeat this 5 times and take the average

Hydraulic radius:
Material/Trash Count
Cross Sectional Area ÷ wetted perimeter
1. Place quadrats along the transect/throw the transect
over shoulder
2. Count number of squares with different types of beach River gradient:
material/trash
1. Using a tape measure, measure a 10m transect
3. Convert to percentage
downstream of the cross section
2. Place the ranging poles along the transect

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CAIE IGCSE GEOGRAPHY

3. The person at the lower ranging pole uses the · Depth of water
clinometer to place it at the 1.5m mark on the pole · Away from waterfalls / rapids
and look directly at the 1.5m mark on the other pole · Away from human impacts eg. dams and hydroelectric
4. Repeat this at every 1m interval stations
· Equal distance from other investigation sites
River surface velocity:
1. Using a tape measure, measure a 10m stretch
Weather and Climate
downstream of the cross section
2. One person stands at one end of the 10m stretch and
equipments:
releases a tennis ball as the stopwatch is started
3. Stop timing when the tennis ball reaches the 10m
mark
4. Repeat the experiment for the left, right and middle of
the river and average out the results

River flow velocity:

1. Calculate the average velocity using a flowmeter,
carrying out these measurements at intervals along
the transect
2. Place the flowmeter below the surface of the water
3. Blades should face upstream
4. Stand upstream of the flowmeter and next to it, so as
to not impede river flow

Water quality: (multiple strategies)

1. Use visual pollution survey (ranked numerically)
2. Measure level of oxygen in water
3. Measure pH of water using a meter / universal
indicator
4. Count number of species of animals and plants /
number of creatures / number of plants
5. Evaporate a water sample and weigh solid residue
6. Filter water sample and weigh solid residue

Pebble length and roundness:

USING A CALIPER
· Put pebble into mouth / teeth of calipers
· Close calipers to hold the pebble into place
· Use scale of calipers / measure the gap between the
‘teeth’ with a ruler
OTHER METHODS:
· Electronic caliper (Reduces risk of human error, more
accurate)
· Pebblometer

Safety:
A class of students were studying how a river changes
downstream. Suggest 3 things they should consider in
choosing their fieldwork sites.
· Safe to access: Sharp rocks and Strength of current
· Accessibility from road / school

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is authorised
for personal use only by Thandi Rwego at undefined on 20/05/24.
CAIE IGCSE GEOGRAPHY

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is authorised
for personal use only by Thandi Rwego at undefined on 20/05/24.
CAIE IGCSE
Geography

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This version was created by Thandi Rwego on 20/05/24 for strictly personal use only.
These notes have been created by Saif Asmi, Gulalay Arif for the 2024 syllabus
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